Article dispenser



Nov. 6, 1956 R UHLENDORF 2,769,448

ARTICLE DISPENSER 2 ShetsSheet 1 Filed Dec. 11, 1953 Q 6E n- A mvsmon N RAYMOND AUHLENDORF ATTORNEY Nov. 6, 1956 R. A. UHLENDORF 2,759,443

ARTICLE DISPENSER I Filed D620. 11, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. I0 I INVENTOR RAYMOND-A. UHLENDORF FIG. u BY ATTORNE ARTICLE DISPENSER Raymond A. Uhiendorf, Packanack Lake, N. J.

Application December 11, 1953, Serial No. 397,699

11 Claims. (Cl. 132-1) The invention relates to article dispensers and more particularly to a dispenser for bobby pins of the kind used by women in their hair.

Heretofore the bobby pins have been handled one at a time when inserting them in the hair. The tines of the pins were inconvenient to spread apart and often the teeth were used for this purpose. Besides being unsanitary, after considerable time even the tooth used for spreading the tines eroded and caused the user discomfort.

One object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages mentioned above by providing a dispenser for the bobby pins whereby the bobby pins may be inserted directly into the hair from the dispenser to avoid handling the pins.

Another object is to provide a dispenser which readil ejects the pins one at a time.

Another object is to spread the tines of the pins apart as they are ejected from the dispenser.

Another object is to provide a dispenser which may be readily loaded with a substantial supply of bobby pins.

The invention contemplates a dispenser for bobby pins having a housing for receiving a supply of bobby pins, means for ejecting the bobby pins from the housing, and means for spreading the tines of the bobby pins apart as they are ejected from the housing.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawing wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description only, and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is an elevation view of a bobby pin dispenser constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the dispenser.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken approximately on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse horizontal section, taken approximately on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are detail views drawn to enlarged scale and showing a hobby pin being ejected from the dispenser.

Fig. 10 is a side view of a card mounting the bobby pins used for loading the dispenser.

Fig. 11 is a top view thereof, and

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing the card mounting the bobby pins inserted in the dispenser to demonstrate the manner of loading the dispenser.

Referring to the drawings, a novel dispenser constructed according to the invention is shown therein and comprises a housing 1 having a pair of side walls 3, 5, a pair of end walls 7, 9, a top wall 11, and a bottom wall 13. The housing may be made of plastic, metal, or any other suitable material.

nited States Patent 0 Bottom wall 13 is detachable to provide for loading the dispenser with a substantial number of bobby pins 15, the number being determined by the height of the housing. Wall 13 is slidable in grooves 14, 16 in side walls 3, 5, respectively, and mounts a tab 18 to facilitate its removal. The bobby pins are loaded in the housing from the bottom in the manner described below upon removal of bottom wall 13.

The inner faces of end walls 7, 9 have tracks 17, 19 (Fig. 5) formed therein to receive the ends of the bobby pins. Track 17 in end wall 7 is arcuate to receive the curved tops of the bobby pins and track 19 in end wall 9 is wedge shaped to receive the tines of the bobby pins. This arrangement prevents the bobby pins from twisting or rotating while in the dispenser and facilitates their ejection as described below.

A spring 21 is secured at one end to a block 23 engaging bottom wall 13. A block 25 is secured to the opposite end of the spring and presses against the lowermost bobby pin, thereby urging the hobby pins toward top wall 11 with the uppermost bobby pin engaging the inner surface of the top wall.

Top wall 11 preferably is made of spring material and is secured in grooves 10, 12 of side walls 3, 5, respectively. Top wall 11 has a narrow elongated slot 27 therein which forms a track for a slide 29 having a member 31 extending into the housing and a handle 33 exteriorly of the housing. Slide 29 is arranged for manual movement in slot 27 for ejecting the uppermost bobby pin from the dispenser. As slide 29 is moved in slot 27 toward end wall 9, member 31 engages the curved end of the uppermost bobby pin and moves the bobby pin longitudinally past end wall 9, with the tines of the bobby pin straddling the wedge formed by end wall 9, as shown in Fig. 6. As the bobby pin passes the wedge the tines of the bobby pin spread apart to facilitate inserting the bobby pin in the hair. The bobby pin may be inserted in the hair without further handling and while the tines are spread apart.

Further movement of slide 29 ejects the bobby pin from the dispenser and as the curved end of the hobby pin passes wedge-shaped end wall 9, it rides upwardly on a curved surface 39 at the top of end wall 9 as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Member 31 also rides over curved surface 39 and top wall 11 flexes slightly. Side walls 3, 5 preferably are cut away as shown at 35, 37 to permit top wall 11 to flex and to permit the tines of the hobby pin to spread apart as far as desirable. At this time the hobby pin has been inserted in the hair of the user and the tines close and hold the hobby pin securely in the hair. After the uppermost bobby pin is ejected from the housing, slide 29 is returned to its original position adjacent to end wall 7 and the nextbobby pin is moved by spring 21 to engagement with the inner face of top wall 11 into uppermost position for ejection from the dispenser.

To facilitate loading the bobby pins in the dispenser, the bobby pins are assembled side by side on a card 41, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. With bottom wall 13 and spring 21 removed from the dispenser, the card and bobby pins are stripped from the card as the top pin engages the inner face of top wall 11. Spring 21 and bottom wall 13 then are assembled to the housing and the dispenser is ready for use. The housing may be of a size to receive a substantial number of bobby pins.

The novel dispenser described herein ejects the hobby pins one at a time, spreads the tines of the bobby pin as it is being ejected 'to facilitate inserting the bobby pin in the hair, and, after the bobby pin is inserted in the hair, releases the pin and permits the tines to spring together and hold the hair firmly in place. The bobby pins are readily loaded into the dispenser and the dispenser holds a substantial number of pins.

Patented Nov. 6, 1956 Although only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Various changes can be made in the design and arrangementof the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as the same will now be understood by those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bobby pin dispenser of the class described, a housing for receiving a supply of bobby pins and com prising a plurality of bounding walls one of which is resilient, a track in said housing for receiving the bobby pins, ejecting means for dispensing the bobby pins from the housing, yielding means for urging said bobby pins toward said ejecting means, and wedge means for spreading the tines of the hobby pin apart as they are ejected from the housing, said ejecting means moving the bobby pins past said Wedge means adjacent said resilient wall and automatically ejecting the bobby pins from the housing.

2. In a hobby pin dispenser of the class described, a housing for receiving a supply of bobby pins and including a plurality of bounding walls one of which is resilient, tracks formed in the inner faces of one pair of oppositely disposed walls to receive the ends of the bobby pins, manually operable ejecting means associated with said resilient wall, yielding means urging the bobby pins a housing, andimeans to facilitate loading bobby pins in said housingcomprising a card mounting the bobby'pins receivable in said housing, and said housing having an opening for removing saidcard from said housing with bounding walls positioned and-arranged to strip the bobby pins from said card as said card is removed from said toward said resilient wall, and one of said tracks comprising a wedge shaped member receiving the open ends of the bobby pins, said ejecting means moving the bobby pins pas-t said wedge shaped member adjacent said resilient wall and dispensing the bobby pins automatically 7 from said housing with the tines of the bobby pins automatically spread apart. 1

comprising a housing having bounding walls, one of said bounding walls being of spring material, aslide movable relative to said wall and engaging the hobby pins and the bobby pins are being ejected by said slide, said wedge having a curved surface at one end to permit the closed ends of the bobby pins to slide over the curve past said wedge, and said one wall flexing to provide for passage of the closed'ends of the bobby pins past said wedge.

4. In combination, a bobby pin dispenser comprising walls having an aperture. therein, the other of said walls being arranged for loading bobby pins-in the housing, and means to facilitate loading the hobby pins in said housing comprising a card mounting the bobby pins and receivable in said housing through said last mentioned wall and extending through said aperture and arranged so that upon pulling said card through said aperture, the bobby pins are stripped therefrom and remain in said housing.

3. Ina bobby pin dispenser of the class described, .35

housing.

7. In a bobby pin dispenser of the class described, means for automatically dispensing the bobby pins one at a time with the tines of the bobby pins spread apart, said means comprising a wedge-shaped element for spreading the tines apart, said element having a curved surface at one end to facilitate the ejection of the bobby pins,,means forrmoving said bobby pins past said element,

and a yielding member urging the closed ends of the bobby pins into engagement with the curved surface as they are ejected from the dispenser.

8. In a hobby pin dispenser of the class described, a housing for receiving a supply of bobby pins, a wedge for spreading the tines of the bobby pins apart as they are ejected from said housing, said Wedge having a curved surface to facilitate movement of the closed ends of said bobby pins past said wedge, and yielding means urging the closed ends of said bobby pins into engage- .ment with said curved surface as they are ejected from said housing.

9. A bobby pin dispenser, comprising a housing, means for guiding a plurality of bobby pins through thehousing from one end to the other end thereof, yielding means urging the bobby pins in the direction of said other end,

one side of saidother end having a bobby pin spreader,

; the hobby pins from the housing. a

, a time from said other end, and said yieldable part main-v 7 a housing having oppositely disposed walls, one of said 5. In combination, a bobby pin dispenser comprising i V a housing having oppositely disposed openings therein,

and means to facilitate loading the bobby pins in said vent passage of said bobby pins therethrough and bea ing arranged to strip the bobby pins from said card when the card is pulled through said housing.

6. In combination, a bobby pin dispenser comprising 10. A bobby pin dispenser comprising a hollow housing, means within the housing for guiding bobby pins in movement from one end to the other end of the housing,

a removable wall for closing said one end'of the house j ing, yieldable means supported on said wall and urging the hobby pins in the direction of said other end, a

yieldable part arranged at said other end, means slidably engaging said other end for ejecting bobby pins one at being small enough to prevent passage of said bobby pins therethrough, and a card mounting bobby pins and receivable into said housingthrough said first opening 'and removable from said housing through said second opening to strip the hobby pins from said card as said card is pulled-through said housing to facilitate loading bobby pins in said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS- 2,250,303 Katz July 22, 1941 2,439,870 Sharp Apr. 20, 1948 2,477,034 Avelli July 26, 1949 2,539,684 Avelli Jan. 30, 1951 2,544,595 Haase Mar. 6, 1951 2,633,138 Belisle et a1. Mar. 31, 1953 

